PROSECUTORS fear Andrew Tate could vanish if released from custody in Romania, following claims he has five passports and a number of international bank accounts.
Judges were due to decide whether Andrew and his brother Tristan would be released on Friday – but the hearing has been delayed until February 1.
EPAAndrew Tate’s appeal to be released has been delayed until next week[/caption]
APAndrew is bundled into a police van outside Romania’s organised crime unit[/caption]
The brothers and their two alleged accomplices Luana Radu and Georgina Naghel are currently in jail in Romania as part of a probe into human trafficking, rape, and organised crime.
However, on Friday the Bucharest Court of Appeal heard the Tate brothers were at risk of fleeing Romania if they were to be released from custody.
The claims were brought forward by prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
During the session, DIICOT prosecutors used an old statement of one of the brothers, in which he showed he had bank accounts in 19 countries and could fly using several passports.
Prosecutors quoted a Tate brother from the report that read: “If I’m wrong and England wants me in prison, I can fly with a Nigerian or American, or English, or Polish, or Estonian passport… I have bank accounts in 19 countries.”
These arguments and evidence convinced the Bucharest Court to extend their pre-trial detention for another 30 days.
The judge considered their release “would create real risks for the proper conduct of the criminal process”.
Both brothers will be held in custody until 27 February.
The Sun Online has approached Tate’s representatives for comment.
This decision marked another stain on Tate’s case to be freed, with the brothers’ first appeal rejected earlier this month.
Their lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, argued the brothers should be released as they both have children in Romania.
But the judge said the “possibility of them evading investigations cannot be ignored” – and added, “they could leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition”.
The pair have been held in a “hellhole” Romanian jail cell.
Both men are accused of recruiting women on social media platforms and persuading them to travel to their £600,000 villa.
The brothers would allegedly falsely claim to be in love with the young women, before making them perform sexual acts on webcams.
It is claimed the women were forced to film porn videos and were kept under 24/7 house arrest, according to Romanian investigators.
As part of the wide-ranging probe, cops seized Andrew’s car collection – estimated by police sources to be worth around £6million.
Prosecutors also said one of the brothers raped one of the victims in March of last year, which is when the investigation started.
Andrew initially gained fame after a short-lived appearance on Big Brother.
He was dumped from the reality show after alleged footage of him beating a woman emerged online.
The kickboxer has also been slammed for creating a warped empire promoting toxic worldviews which have infected legions of fans through TikTok.
APThe former Big Brother contestant was arrested last month[/caption]
instagramPrior to his arrest, the disgraced influencer lived a lavish lifestyle[/caption]
He owned a bunch of luxury cars that were seized by authoritiesTate has captivated the attention of young men with his toxic videositsandrewtatee/instagram
